7 new debut novels to savour!

Need some reading inspo? Here are 7 debut novels to savour this autumn, selected by our resident fiction lover, Ben Hunter. Read on!

Losing Face

by George Haddad

The lockdowns of 2021 drew a dividing line between two Sydneys, and as a reader I’ve been hungry for new fiction coming out of the vibrant western suburbs. Initiatives like Westwords and Sweatshop have me very excited. I’m also very keen to read Losing Face, a thought-provoking look at contemporary Australia that has won the admiration of the incredibly discerning Tony Birch. This is one to watch out for.

Buy it here

Son of Sin

by Omar Sakr

Staying on theme with Western Sydney writers, Omar Sakr is one who has made big waves with his prize-winning poetry collection, The Lost Arabs. His debut novel, Son of Sin, is incredible and I am seeing it being moved into front windows of bookshops all over Sydney right now. It’s a raw work of self-reflection, grief and the complexities of class, faith and family. Comparisons to Christos Tsiolkas are warranted but I also feel this book is moving contemporary Australian writing to a whole new level. Expect to see this one on prize lists left, right and centre.

Buy it here

Sunbathing

by Isobel Beech

Another debut that tackles grief, but a very different kind of novel. After a great loss, a woman flies to Italy and takes residence in the birthing room of an old villa where generations of women have had their babies. Past and present converge for her and over the weeks that follow, she undergoes a kind of restoration and evolution. Sunbathing comes from Melbourne journalist and culture writer, Isobel Beech. Her prose is spare and fresh – it captured me from the first page.

Buy it here

The Furies

by Mandy Beaumont

Yes, I have raved about this before and I’ll do it again! The Furies is uncomfortable, lyrical and beautiful all at once. Set against a drought-stricken outback Queensland, and told in rhythmic and vivid language, it tells the story of a woman named Cynthia who suffers the unspeakable and dares to overcome it. This book screams against complacency, I dare you to read it.

Buy it here

The Signal Line

by Brendan Colley

You had me at ‘ghost train’.

Buy it here

No Hard Feelings

by Genevieve Novak

Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss seems to have sparked a cover craze of well-dressed women literally collapsing under the weight of twenty-first century malaise. I weirdly love it. Genevieve Novak’s debut is acerbic and refreshing to read. It sets a torch to good intentions and success culture or late capitalism or whatever name you want to give to that horrible thing that makes you feel bad and then want to buy stuff while knowing you’ll feel worse for doing so. Perfect for fans of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Dolly Alderton.

Buy it here

Hovering

by Rhett Davis

This debut was a winner of the highly coveted Victorian Premier’s Unpublished Manuscript Award, which has uncovered some of the best new writers to hit the scene over the last decade. Playful and poignant, this book tips expectations upside down and questions our notions of permanence and ownership of the spaces we inhabit. Rhett Davis is a shapeshifter in his prose, he’ll set your mind ablaze.

Buy it here

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About the Contributor

Ben Hunter

Ben is Booktopia's dedicated fiction and children's book specialist. He spends his days painstakingly piecing together beautiful catalogue pages and gift guides for the website. At any opportunity, he loves to write warmly of the books that inspire him. If you want to talk books, find him tweeting at @itsbenhunter